Harvesting California Poppies

I have a new favorite tea that I’ve been drinking before bed and it’s called soothing caramel tea which is made by the Yogi tea company. I love so many of their teas but this one has become my favorite. One of the ingredients in the tea is California poppies.  I think that this blend helps me to get better nights sleep than the Valarian root tea that I was drinking previously. I still enjoy Valarian tea on occasion but I do prefer the taste of the poppy tea best. Since I enjoy making my own teas from the medicinal plants I grow, I first did some research on this flower to see if it was safe to grow and what parts of the plants are harvested. I grew a few varieties but this bright orange one was the best producing flower with beautiful bright blooms. They were a little slow to get started but now are doing every well. Here I am harvesting some of the poppies that I currently have growing. First they will need to be dried and later will decide what I will put in the tea blend. I might add some chamomile flowers to the mix which is another one of my favorites. 

I also have an interest in making tinctures from some of the plants I have growing and have begun to research a little on the topic, I will be sure to post what Ive learned if I ever choose to explore that path.

To the left is a picture of some of the poppies I have harvested in the basket and below is a picture of the dried poppies after cutting them up.